Producers Prep Istanbul

28th September 2011

Producers Michael
G. Wilson and Barbara
Broccoli met with officials
yesterday in Istanbul, Turkey, to finalise plans to shoot part
of the 23rd James Bond film in
the city. They met with Ertugrul Günay, Turkish Culture
and Tourism Minister, in his office on Tuesday to firm up production
plans ahead of principal photography kicking off in November.

"The opening scenes are planned to
be filmed in Istanbul, but some other places will also be
used outside Istanbul for the film," Günay
confirmed.

"Such is the appeal of the series that
many of the locations where Bond films have been filmed in the
past have continued to attract Bond fans to visit many years
down the line. The fact that
the
opening scene of the film will be made in Turkey will contribute
to Turkish tourism. The ministry has been providing big support
to the film sector for five years. We have made a concerted
effort in the past five years to support the film sector and
our aim continues to be to welcome international film crews to
our country for filming," Günay said.

James Bond is no stranger to Istanbul, and as
the series marks its 50th anniversary next year, it is fitting
that 007 would return to one of the most loved locations in the
history of the franchise. Wilson told local reporters, "it
really just feels like we are coming home."

Locations are set to include the city's
historical neighborhood Sultanahmet Square, which EON Productions
had secured filming permissions
earlier this month. "There
are, however, a number of locations, including the waterside
and shores of the Bosporus, in consideration for the 10-15 minutes
of the movie that is to be filmed in Turkey," Günay revealed.

Two James Bond films have featured
Istanbul: most notably "From
Russia With Love", and to a lesser extent "The
World Is Not Enough". Back in 1963, Sean Connery's second
outing as 007 based the majority of their location
shooting in
the city and the surrounding areas. Ian Fleming also joined the
production on location while they were shooting
at the Hagia Sophia Mosque
and at Sirkeci Train
Station that stood in for all three of the train stations on
the Orient Express line. While Fleming was reportedly delighted
by
the progress and the atmosphere on set, Istanbul
proved a tough shoot.

Daniel Craig begins preperations for the film
next week with filming at Pinewood Studios scheduled to start
in
November
2011. The film's
UK release is set for
just less than
a year later on 26th
October 2012.